1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to field of animal tethers, more specifically, the present invention relates to a retractable device for securing an animal to a tether.
2. Background Art
Millions of pets, many of these dogs, are walked at least once each day. Most of these pets are not sufficiently trustworthy to be walked without some type of constraint, such as a leash. The use of leashes causes many conflicts between a pet and its master. A leash must be connected to and disconnected from an animal each time the animal is walked. Many animals may be excited or agitated by this task and often jump, struggle, or otherwise move while the owner is attempting to connect or disconnect the leash. Consequently, it is desirable to minimize or eliminate the need for the human to participate in the act of connecting to and disconnecting from the collar of the animal.
Another problem related to the conventional retractable leash is so serious that it often causes injury to the pet or human holding the leash. On frequent occasions, animals have been agitated or excited and break away from their owner. It is not uncommon for the owner to have a loose hold on the leash and for an animal's unexpected movement to rip the leash from the hand of the handler resulting in the animal dragging its leash behind it. In such a situation with a traditional retractable leash the housing into which the leash retracts would advance toward the animal as it retracts, serving to further agitate or frighten the animal.
The prior art has not satisfactorily devised a solution to these problems. Prior art devices require a human to locate the portion of the leash that connects to the animal's collar and manually attach and remove it. Also, prior art devices bias the leash to retract if not actively maintained in an extended configuration. It is, therefore, desirable to have a retractable leash that is easily connected to and disconnected from an animal and maintained in an extended position until the owner takes action to retract the leash.